Staff Picks of the Year 2024

What better way to end the year than with a couple words from our lovely staff? From the warehouse to the shop, our staff take us along a diverse and eclectic musical journey, its no secret that they have amazing music taste.

Featuring titles from Fontaines DC, Peggy Gou, Wand, Charli xcx, and many more!

Be sure to stop in and give a big thanks to our staff this holiday season!

Jessica Pratt - Here In The Pitch

Brilliant, timeless, full-body chills.

~ Merit (they/them)

Peggy Gou - I Hear You

This album has great dance and electronic production, with the catchy melodies from Peggy. Every time I play it I get caught up in the groove and can't help but dance along!

~ Tyreke (he/him)

Common and Pete Rock - The Auditorium Vol. 1

I grew up in the 90s - a "hip-hop kid" from the Chicagoland area. This made Common our Lord. I have a bit I sometimes do where I argue that he'll go down as the hip-hop artist with the best catalog ever. With his incredible Pete Rock collab now out in the world, it's no longer a bit. I think it's probably the truth. Maybe this record isn't as strange or progressive as a lot of today's popular rap, but it's as masterful as ... any hip-hop record ever? Great to see these two 50-something artists still operating at such a masterful level.

~ William (he/him)

Wand - Vertigo

Anything Cory Hanson does will always be amazing. Vertigo sounds like time-slippage and brings on those moments that make you forget about the world around you. Its hard and soft at the same time, like laying on a wool shag rug. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

~ Liv (she/her)

Omni - Souvenir

Atlanta, GA's post-punk trio Omni have done it again! The wiry guitars, the tight rhythms, the sophisticated flair of Philip Frobos lyrics- it's all here, but with even more ass-shaking potential. Fans of Devo, Parquet Courts and Talking Heads should give these guys a listen.

~ George (he/him)

Fontaines D.C. - Romance

Second time a Fontaines album has topped my AOTY list! While Skinty Fia was a triumph in itself, the band branched out even further sound wise on this year's Romance and boy did it pay off big. Seeing this band level up venues every single tour has been a joy to witness. Long Live Fontaines!

~ Wesley

Madi Diaz - Weird Faith

Wildly cathartic, evocative, and freeing - that is how I would describe Madi Diaz's Weird Faith. In thirty years when someone asks me to reflect on the music that soundtracked my young adult life, Madi Diaz will be at the top of my list. Weird Faith is one of those albums with words that explain exactly what you've been feeling, whether or not you know it yet.

~ Lucie

Halsey - The Great Imposter

This deeply personal 5th album from Halsey invites the listener to sit, connect, and dissect. The Great Impersonator is rarely an easy listen for those willing to allow the true emotion of the album to take root. ‘Dog Years’ sounds like how being in your 30’s feels, and I can’t like of anyone who won’t resonate with ‘Hometown’, and if you don’t get a bittersweet hit of nostalgia from ‘Lucky’ then listen to it again. Amidst the look behind the heavy curtain of Halsey’s life she added another interesting element for fans to dive into as the style of every song is inspired by a different artist who has had a profound impact on her life. Can you guess them all?

~ Kristi (she/her)

Charli xcx - brat

Brat is not only an album, it’s a movement. It's a counter to the clean girl, celery juice, pilates class aesthetic and it ushered in a new era of party girls, Parliaments and slime green. May brat summer live forever on in our hearts and Merry Bratmas to all!

~ Emily (she/they)

Julia Holter - Something In The Room She Moves

Beautiful chamber pop perfection - Julia Holter is one of the most chameleonic songwriters of our time. Following her somewhat incomprehensible (yet brilliant) album Aviary, Julia returns to form, combining beautiful pop hooks with chamber jazz and ambient elements to create a lush, colorful album that tugs at the heart.

~ Evan (he/him)

Julie - My Anti-Aircraft Friend

Disaffected melancholia drenched in moody blue. Damned angels sing to no one but themselves over Guitars that wail and ache. It’s self indulgent sludge, but it’s honest. Your confusion, aimlessness and loneliness is shared with julie.

~ Nat (he/they)

Tucker Zimmerman - Dance Of Love

Less is so much more with this exquisite LP recording. Tucker's 'oak barrel aged' vocals, beautifully edge stitched with Lenker's delicate (harmonically wise beyond her years) backing vocal, the deft artistry of the songwriting, singing and musicianship combined, has a rare, joyous, 'happy to be alive' quality. Like putting on your favorite tatty jumper or worn pair of jeans, this is a go-to album of comfort to cherish, lean into, be thankful for.

~ Stephen

Wishy - Triple Seven

Wishy's debut offers listeners a view of the past and a glimpse of the future. Triple Seven evoke many a sound that 90's alternative-rock lovers know never gets old. This records hits heavy with searing leads, and breathes beauty with masterful melody. Enjoy the darling interplay between its colorful characters, and sink as you're thrust down by the weight of it's mighty tone. For anyone who's ever picked the marshmallows out of their Lucky Charms.

~ Ellis (he/him)

Geordie Greep - The New Sound

It’s 2024, and reality is becoming more of a head scratching random clusterfu**. More craziness everywhere, a bizarre myriad of strange decisions made that are out of our control, which don’t benefit the majority. This album encapsulates the full spectrum of those uncertain feelings, from the dread to the acceptance or denial to the downright outrageousness of it all. The New Sound is right there with you, as we observe and partake in the silliness of it all.

~ Eric

Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More

Kim Deal’s first realized solo effort is ambitious and swimming with hooks. It bounces between classic Kim rockers and more melancholic swing and country inspired songs. Kim Deal continues her “no miss” batting average with this one. She hasn’t written a bad song in her career. Not once.

~ Brendon (he/them)